Dark skin is a curse from God for unrighteousness

Black skin is a result of having not been “valiant” enough in the pre-existence, which was the basis for denying Black people full fellowship in the church until 1978. Native Americans also are cursed with a dark skin because of their (or their ancestors’) unrighteousness, but can become “white and delightsome” if they become righteous. Mormons don’t mention this much, but it is still in the Book of Mormon (look in the index for “skin” “dark” and “black”).

By: Richard

Community Answers

1-3-12

Chris says:

“Mormons don’t mention this”…..Whatever! I had to mention this every day of my life in the mission field because there were many people of African decent I taught and baptized. How could they read the Book of Mormon and not garner the same conclusion you have? Probably because you conclusion and basis for it are lies that have been dragged through the mud of history. Now, there is a difference between a mark and a curse. The curse was being denied the priesthood because of sin, not valiancy in the war against Lucifer. I also believe that when people come to know Christ and his gospel their very demeanor changes and on the outside whether that person be black, white, asian, or whatever, there countenance changes. That can be explained in many ways by different people in different ways.

Could it be that, when this book was written, dark skinned people were not considered equal to whites? Just as the Bible is clear in its support of slavery (as common as mud in the day it was written) perhaps the Book of Mormon simply reflected the common attitude of whites when it was written – blacks, Indians, Mexicans etc. were inferior. Just as modern Christians try tons of excuses to rationalize the horrible beliefs in the Bible that reflect the cultural norm of its writers, so now you try to rationalize the outdated attitudes of the 19th century.

.In the bible it actually says all men are created equal.No matter the color.We do not put other religions down as that is their belief.How can you dislike a person for their color .You can’t preach if your religion teaches you racism.

Slavery in the nation of Israel was only an instrument to work off unpaid debts. No physical mistreatment was allowed – or the slave was released and the debt was cancelled. Slaves could not be sold as merchandise. The term of slavery could not exceed 7 years, unless the slave wished it to continue.

This ‘slavery’ is so different from the slavery practiced in other ancient societies that it deserves to be known by a different term.

But Patrick, the book was written by a “prophet” remember? Are prophet’s bigots? I should think not. ..Dude sounds more like some side show freak, snake oil salesman to me. I can’t believe people believed this BS.

That’s whats wrong you are required to believe the book of mormon is true, when they have lies like that in the book, they are still there, I go the L.D.S. church but I’ll never be baptized until these evil scriptures are removed, that won’t happen I know. So be it.

Chris–War against Lucifer? Maybe war against ignorance. What is this idea that once they come of know Christ their countenance (Blacks, Asians, Indians, Mexicans)changes? Are you drinking some strange stuff we don’t have access to like your underwear? Please spare us the mumbo jumbo stuff. If they didn’t have so much outside pressure from the anti-poligamists and the anti-black group, you guys would still be enjoying your numerous wives and thumbing your noses at people of color…Give us all a break!

Chris, do you baptize people when there is a rainbow? I know that Jesus won’t come then, but I was thinking that if you didn’t see a rainbow, you may want to do the speedy baptism version to get your blacks baptized as quickly as possible ’cause he might be coming. Also, I’m wondering if your baptism includes Holy Water… I mean, I know y’all mormons are afraid of traveling on water… maybe because y’all prefer spaceships since y’all have this space thing going on with Kolob and all the planets and everything. I was just wondering about the extent of the fear of water with mormons. Don’t get your panties in a wad about all the questions… You may need them to protect you from Jesus’ brother, Lucifer. Just a tip…

What? Rainbows? Afraid of water? I have no idea what you’re talking about madame. But I can assure you, unless the mormon never learned to swim or had some kind of traumatic incident as a child, they will not be afraid of water.

I am a mormon. I was an ocean lifeguard for 10 years. I surf, I sail, I SCUBA dive. I enjoy most all water sports. In fact, there are few places I feel as comfortable as when I’m in the ocean.

Assuming your correct, why did the presiding president THEN (1970′s) had to make an amendment to this (so called “mark or cursed’) teaching? If there were NO indiscripancies for someone coming out of sin into the light, then why this change? Chris, please look up youtube Mormon articles during the 70′s for a clear understanding of your church organization. Note that I ask you to research not pray about it as Mormons usually answer as to looking up answers for one….. Acts 17:10-13 searching scripture versus “praying about it only:
“Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and Searched the Scriptures Daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds”

If we didn’t believe in research and only in prayer why would one of the common sayings in the church be “search, ponder and pray.” We say it so much it’s almost a mantra. Any mormon who thinks prayers answered without continually and constantly studying the scriptures doesn’t know their own faith.

You are right, there are some replies on here that are dumb, the one person talking about dri ki g underwear, sooo you never look at a person and see their demeanor? Whether they are happy or sad or angry? Thats what he means. When you are born again the love you have in your heart shows on your face. Now as far as skin color, the bible says one of Noahs sons was cursed for either seeing his father’s nakedness or for not covering it up. I am black it hurts but I have to accept everything in the bible. Now one part also says Jesus only came for the jews. Everyone else was excluded. But because of their stiff neckness He is going to give it to offer His salvation to all. So no one can talk. All All All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! We are saved by Grace lest any man should boast. We are all equal now, in need of His grace and mercy.

“Mormons don’t mention this”…..Whatever! I had to mention this every day of my life in the mission field because there were many people of African decent I taught and baptized. How could they read the Book of Mormon and not garner the same conclusion you have? Probably because you conclusion and basis for it are lies that have been dragged through the mud of history. Now, there is a difference between a mark and a curse. The curse was being denied the priesthood because of sin, not valiancy in the war against Lucifer. I also believe that when people come to know Christ and his gospel their very demeanor changes and on the outside whether that person be black, white, asian, or whatever, there countenance changes. That can be explained in many ways by different people in different ways.

Sorry but this clearly was more than just the interpretation of some members here and there. A 1949 First Presidency statement clearly “states” that the ban was 1) from God and 2) that those of african descent were “cursed with a skin of blackness” and the curse was based performance in the pre-existence.

“The First Presidency Statement on the Negro Question

August 17, 1949

The attitude of the Church with reference to Negroes remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord, on which is founded the doctrine of the Church from the days of its organization, to the effect that Negroes may become members of the Church but that they are not entitled to the priesthood at the present time. The prophets of the Lord have made several statements as to the operation of the principle. President Brigham Young said: “Why are so many of the inhabitants of the earth cursed with a skin of blackness? It comes in consequence of their fathers rejecting the power of the holy priesthood, and the law of God. They will go down to death. And when all the rest of the children have received their blessings in the holy priesthood, then that curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are entitled to.”

President Wilford Woodruff made the following statement: “The day will come when all that race will be redeemed and possess all the blessings which we now have.”

The position of the Church regarding the Negro may be understood when another doctrine of the Church is kept in mind, namely, that the conduct of spirits in the premortal existence has some determining effect upon the conditions and circumstances under which these spirits take on mortality and that while the details of this principle have not been made known, the mortality is a privilege that is given to those who maintain their first estate; and that the worth of the privilege is so great that spirits are willing to come to earth and take on bodies no matter what the handicap may be as to the kind of bodies they are to secure; and that among the handicaps, failure of the right to enjoy in mortality the blessings of the priesthood is a handicap which spirits are willing to assume in order that they might come to earth. Under this principle there is no injustice whatsoever involved in this deprivation as to the holding of the priesthood by the Negroes.”

Besides your explanation is bogus anyways. How was the ban defined or applied? It was limited to people with black skin and/or of african descent. The Church used black skin as the means for identifying seed of Cain. The curse was all about race. Without race there is no way to tell who is cursed and who was to be banned.

What is wrong with you people.To go out and preach to people such stupidity is rediculous.They are who they are doesn’t make you a better person than the next.That being said the only person that can judge anyone is god.Your judgement of people would lead you to seven years of hell.you should repent now.

It specifically says that having dark skin is a curse from God for your sins or your ancestors sins. That is why dark skinned people were denied full membership until 1978. Now i don’t know what you would take that as, but umm… to every other single person that would mean that they have a problem with dark skinned people. Which is extremely messed up, along with your beliefs on polygamy. Some random man wrote the Book of Mormon and a lot of it is plagiarized from a different book. There is no proof that it is true, whatsoever. And it also says that Jesus was born in Jerusalem, which is not true at all, he was born in Bethlehem. So before you go around saying that every one else should stop misconstruing what the Book of Mormon says, maybe you should take a look at it yourself and think about how unbelievably ridiculous it is.

ginny,
I seriously hope that you do not take very word in every book that you read to be literal. Existing in all languages are generalizations, symbols, analagies and more. The men who wrote the excerpts that later became the Bible and Book of Mormon used these same linguistical patterns. Although it may be called a ‘curse’ in the the Book of Mormon does not mean that God caused it to happen to them, rather that it was a mark that symbolized choices made by a people. As far as having ‘proof’ that the Book of Mormon is true/untrue…I would argue that ALL people beleive in things /accept the truthfullness of things without ‘proof’. For example, I have never been to Antartica, I have never seen it or personally spoken with any body who has. Yes there are many many people who say they have been there and I have seen pictures but i think you would agree that these do not constitute ‘proof’, yet I still believe that it exeists. If you require proof of everything that you beleive or trust in, you would have an extremely narrow life. Saying that Jesus was born in Jerusalem is a generalization. Bethelhem is less than 6 miles away. Many people would tell you that they live in ‘such and such’ city, when in fact they live in some suburb of that city. When asked where they are born, people will almost always make a generalization and say they were born in the city that they grew up in, rather than the actual city they were born, especially if they are talking to somebody who is not familiar with the area (which was the case in the Book of Mormon)To say that the Book of Mormon is false based solely on these examples would mean that every book on Earth is also false due to misconstrued language and taking everything literally

Gosh, Brody, I am confused as to whether I should believe you or Joseph Smith. You say don’t take every word literally, but Joseph Smith claimed in 1841 that the Book of Mormon was the most correct book ever written. The very person who you should thank for being your salvation, for without JS, you wouldn’t be able to be a God of your own planet and spawn your little spirit babies… Way to branch out with the blind faith thing on Antarctica. I applaud you for taking such as risk, although I am not at all surprised at your courage. I mean, Antarctica… sheesh! There are so many disturbing things about it, and no one has ever, you know, filmed a part of it so that you could actually see the physical evidence of its existence. Still, blind faith in something that is much more incredible than a continent that has actually been photographed from a space satellite, but is absolutely absurd such as the trite non-sense of your cultist religion that pretends to be Christianity, seems to be the order of the day! Explain to us why, when a black person becomes righteous, his skin doesn’t turn white and delightful? What is it about the white skin that makes it so delightful? If white skin is so delightful, why do I see mormons laying out in the sun? Are they trying to shed a little of the delightfulness?

Playing Mormon’s Advocate here – what is wrong with polygamy? I do not much like the reason they use to justify it, but I see nothing wrong with polygamy as long as it is a union between consenting adults. For legal and budgetary reasons we may want to limit financial benefits to only one spouse (i.e. health insurance, Social Security benefits, etc.) but there is no reason the a group marriage could not be treated as a fully legal contract for the purposes of joint property rights, next of kin status or child custody issues. Laws against polygamy are clearly unconstitutional on several grounds, most specifically the 1st, 4th, and the 9th. Under the first, it is a violation of church/state separation. Also, in cases such as Griswold v Connecticut, the court ruled under the 9th and 4th amendments there is a clear protection for privacy in one’s marriage.
It is only “Christian morals” and anti-Mormon prejudice that keep these laws on the books.

Evolutionary biology says white skin evolved from black skin as people migrated out of Africa. The main reason is that dark skinn protected better against the sun. Unfortunately, dark skin at northern lattitudes is a problem as it prevented getting enough vitamin D to avoid rickets. People in northern climates tended to evolve to lighter skin. This is the conclusion from science.

I would like to mention that those who ridicule the Mormon faith are not very well informed. We do not practice polygamy, and have not for a while. In fact, practicing polygamy will get you excommunicated from the Church. Also, in the Book of Mormon, as in the Bible, there are plenty of metaphors. You have to understand that and not take everything literally. And, okay, so maybe blacks were denied full membership for awhile, but denying rights to black people is not just a Mormon fault, the entire United States did it. And yes, when we did that we were wrong. We admit that. Everyone has flaws and nobody, or any religion, was ever said to be perfect. Get your facts straight before trying to tear down a religion and the people who believe in it. Maybe YOU should learn more about the Book of Mormon and our religion before commenting on it.

I think there is a difference when people decide to deny rights to another based on skin vs a “religion” that practices and preaches it! Religion in my opinion seem to be a higher level of conscience/thinking based on the world at presence and the world of spirits to guide how a person should live. Man on its own is just man unguide by supposedly righteous guidance. It only right or wrong based on their ability to have empathy and not see someone’s skin color as wrong. If you add in moral guidance of religion and it tells you that a different person’s skin color is bad, wrong, or undeserving. Thats much bigger and the difference in which I speak of. For the mormon church to be all of sudden open, forgiving, change heart or mind, etc… of whatever you want to call it. Only seems to be done out of despite because attention brought to the point. I mean 1979? Even after the known history of slavery, the American civil war no one decide the teaching in the mormon is is or would be wrong to consider Blacks not capable of priesthood? What about those that may actually wish it wasn’t changed and believe it?

Rhiannon, YOU, my dear, are uninformed (and unfortunately quite brainwashed as well.) I’m not just ridiculing… I am confronting, debating, and making serious fun of mormons and their complete stupidity in actually thinking that they are Christians and that they are righteous. “And, okay, maybe blacks were denied full membership for awhile…” How about ALL blacks were denied for OVER A DECADE. Maybe (and just maybe) I can accept your “metaphor” excuse for your Book of Moron, eh, Mormon, but what about the very words that are uttered from the mouths of your beloved nut-job prophets? Your beloved child molester Brigham Young had quite a few things to sat about blacks. For example: “You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind….Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 290). Here’s another thing that you need to get straight in your little mind… The Book of Mormon was supposedly translated by Joseph Smith from those illusive golden tablets using his super=decodable spectacles, right? The Holy Bible says that all men are created equal, but your foolish Book of Mormon says otherwise. People chose to deny blacks their rights, not a religion. It is your religion, the very Doctrine that defines it, that we all have issues with. Not the brainless followers… Inform me as to where in the Bible I can find a scripture that says the penalty for interracial marriage is death? “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, p. 110). Information is powerful… I suggest you obtain some from a source other than your metaphoric Book of Mormon or the racist prophets who created the Doctrine in which you subscribe. It’s called ENLIGHTENMENT and it’s really nice.

Sorry you are so wrong you did separate blacks from whites.So your religion teaches racism as if blacks are let in your church they need to bleach their skin to make it white.dont take it literally.It actually is no other way to take it .You can’t compare you book to the bible their is no racism god loves everyone.

If you want to see it from the inside, I would encourge you to see the video’s “The God Makers” & the “Temple of the God Makers”. I have heard that Mormons are spefically told to NOT watch these. I can see why, their eyes may be opened. I truly feel sorry for them, they are being blindly led down a dark path.

The area of the world where humans first evolved was near the equator (Africa), and the dark pigmentation developed as a defense from the direct sunlight. As the human race increased and spread to regions farther away from the equator, such defenses were less necessary, so the skin tones gradually lightened. Vitamin D is absorbed by the skin from sunlight, so lighter skin was necessary to be able to absorb adequate amounts from less sunlight.

When you are prejudiced against dark-skinned people, you are prejudiced against your own ancestors.

Makes no sense to hate other skin colors. We are all humans, and all in this together.

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